


across fields full of lilies

by sylviewashere



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, References to depression and anxiety, Slow Burn, flower shop au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-03-24 16:09:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13814715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sylviewashere/pseuds/sylviewashere
Summary: "But know that the heart wants to loveAnd a new love will blossomFilling that void with its rapturous beauty.Come to me, my loveAcross fields full of liliesAnd all looks new tonight."- SapphoBeca is in need of a job. Aubrey is in need of staff at the flower shop she's inherited. Even though they’ll clash, they’ll quickly discover exactly how much they need each other.





	1. wake up, you need money

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this project was a spur of the moment decision, but once i had the idea, i set off planning and getting inspiration like i've never done before. enjoy!

The apartment door slammed shut, so hard the frames on the wall rattled. Emily’s head whipped up from her textbook and she took an earbud out. “Beca? Are you okay?” 

Beca stayed silent, ignoring Emily and stomping to her room, slamming that door shut as well. Emily thought about leaving her roommate alone, knowing that Beca appreciated a little personal space if she was upset. Emily usually ended up getting the silent treatment when she asked Beca what caused her to sulk away, anyway. Emily was about to go back to reading; until she heard thumping music blasting from Beca’s room.

“Alright, Beca, I get the hint,” Emily shouted, knowing Beca couldn’t actually hear her. She stomped over to the bedroom door and knocked rapidly, but her attempts were drowned out by the music. Emily sighed and attempted to yell over the music. “Beca! Please let me in? Or at least turn the volume down?” 

Emily didn’t believe it possible, but the music somehow got even louder. 

“Beca Eleanor Mitchell! The neighbors are going to complain if you don’t - ” 

The door swung open, revealing a very disgruntled looking Beca. The music finally quieted down as Beca pressed the volume on her phone. Without a word, Beca moved aside, inviting Emily into her room. Emily entered, unsure of where to sit ; the floor was littered with clothes and shoes. She finally just decided to stand, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at her roommate. Beca didn’t make eye contact, just made herself look busy picking up a couple of shirts. 

“You don’t just play Stressed Out on full blast for no reason, Beca. What’s wrong?” 

“It’s nothing,” Beca finally said. “I just had a rough last day at work.” 

“Oh! Well, we can order a pizza and grab some beers. Just a nice relaxing - wait. Did you say last day? As in  _ last day _ ?” Emily looked at Beca with wide eyes. 

“Yes,” Beca remained unmoved. 

“Beca, did you get  _ fired _ ?” 

“Depends on how you look at it. Some would say I was fired, but I’d say they lost a top notch employee.” 

“What happened?” 

“Eh, details,” Beca waved Emily’s question off. “At least now I could try to go for that position at the radio station. I think this time I may finally have a chance.” 

Emily smiled. “That’s great, Beca. It really is. But…” 

“I know,” Beca sighed. 

The pair had met in college, they were in the same required statistics class. Beca had initially just ignored her, content to keep to herself; but Emily was persistent, sitting next to her every day until Beca finally just accepted that she couldn’t shake the younger girl. After graduation, Beca’s old roommate moved out of their apartment near campus. Emily ended up going to grad school, so she took over the other half of the rent and moved in. 

The two held together fine for the most part, but Emily could only work part-time in addition to her studies, which was already a lot to balance. Now that Beca was unemployed, neither of them were quite sure how they would manage. 

“You think we’ll be okay rent-wise?” Emily asked. 

“I can go down to the radio station tomorrow and see how soon I can start,” Beca replied. “And there are always some corners we can cut. Who needs running water, am I right?” 

“Beca,” Emily’s tone got serious. “I think you should definitely try to deejay down at the radio station. But last time they didn’t take you.” 

“Thanks, Em, real encouraging.” 

“I just need to know that you aren’t so set on this job that you don’t look other places as well. We can’t afford that.” 

“Of course, yeah,” Beca nodded quickly, not quite meeting Emily’s eyes. “Trust me, it’s under control.” 

The look in Emily’s eyes told Beca she wasn’t convinced. 

To tell the truth, neither was Beca. 

* * *

Beca slid quietly into her room, avoiding Emily’s presence in the living room. But Emily didn’t miss the familiar sound of Beca’s door clicking shut.

“Beca?” Soft knocks intruded on Beca’s thoughts. “Beca, how did the interview go?” 

Beca didn’t respond, just leaned against the door and mindlessly tapped out a rhythm with her fingers. After a minute of silence, Emily got the picture. 

“Oh, Beca. I’m sorry.” 

Beca tried to pretend it never happened.

* * *

Suddenly, the bedroom was filled with sunlight. Beca groaned, rolling over to face away from the window. The sound of Emily’s voice made Beca stir again.

“Beca, it’s been almost a week. I know you’re really upset about the DJ job, and I’m really sorry, but I think that sitting around in bed all day won’t help you. Or our rent.” 

Beca blinked, finally looking at her roommate sitting at the edge of her bed. Emily’s eyes didn’t hold their usual brightness lately; they were always exhausted nowadays. Beca didn’t like causing Emily any more stress than she needed, but her motivation was at zero. 

Emily could see that this conversation wasn’t going any further than the others. Beca didn’t hear anything but the door shut again. 

She rolled over, reaching off the of the bed for her laptop. Her headphones sat precariously on the edge of her nightstand; she knocked them off in the process.  _ Fuck.  _

Headphones and laptop finally safe in her lap, she wrapped her blanket tighter around herself and started up Spotify. 

_ Get on your knees, and I thought you can leave it all in your mind (it is), all in your mind (it is). Crawl in the backseat, old friend. It is really all in your mind (it is), all in your mind (you look). So tired of living like a kite, kite, kite, kite… _

Beca closed her eyes and breathed with the music. 


	2. eyes bright, uptight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter was more introductory, but I wanted this as a separate chapter, so I'm posting them both today. The remaining chapters will be uploaded one at a time like normal. Enjoy the first bit of Mitchsen interaction!

One minute, Beca was alone in the apartment, listening to music in the living room. The next, Emily was standing in front of her, saying something indistinguishable with a huge smile on her face. Beca lowered her headphones. 

“What?” 

“I said, guess who just found you a job?” Emily didn’t stop grinning. 

“Ellen DeGeneres?” Beca deadpanned.

“No.”

“Ellen  _ Page. _ ” 

“No, better!’  

“I’m sorry. I know we have a nice banter going, but you can’t just say you’re better than either Ellens.” 

“Right, sorry. But seriously!” 

“That’s amazing, Emily, but what  _ is _ the job?”  

“Oh, yeah,” Emily shook her head at herself for forgetting. “You know Chloe, right?” 

“Hot ginger Chloe or hot yoga buddy Chloe?” 

“Those are the same person,” Emily rolled her eyes. “That’s not the point. Her roommate is looking for employees at the job she just started managing.” 

“Still haven’t told me what the job is yet, Emily.” 

“It’s that cute flower shop downtown! You know, the one with the cute little signs out front that change every day?” 

“A flower shop?” Beca looked at Emily with disdain. “I’m not exactly a botanist.” 

“Chloe said no experience necessary!” Emily grinned again. “Beca, this is perfect. It’ll pay better than your last job too.” 

“I don’t know,” Beca said hesitantly. She knew that she needed this job, if just to alleviate some stress from Emily. Emily was staring at her, the grin fading slowly. Beca couldn’t stand letting her suffer any longer. 

“Okay, I’ll look into it.” 

* * *

Beca looked at the smudged writing on her hand, checking to see if the address on the shop matched what Chloe had texted her.  _ Posen’s Posies. Nerdy alliteration in the name of the shop. Great. Couldn’t be better. _

A small bell rang as she pushed the door open. The shop was charming to say the least; it felt homey, in the way Beca felt walking into her grandmother’s house. Varieties of plants were carefully arranged in the picture windows and hanging from the ceiling. Other than Beca, the plants, and the front counter, the shop was seemingly empty. 

“Hello?” Beca called out. “I’m, uh, here about the job opening?” 

_ Looks like you need it…  _

“Coming!” A woman’s voice rang out from another room. Beca stood awkwardly in the center of the shop, eyes scanning all of the flowers. Reds, blues, and purples caught Beca’s eyes, but there was an overwhelming amount of pinks and yellows. They brightened the room, bringing a certain warmth that Beca found comforting. 

Finally, a blonde woman who didn’t look much older than Beca walked through the swinging door behind the counter. She looked a little frazzled, hair coming loose from the bandana holding up her bun and dirt staining the sides of her jeans that weren’t covered by a green apron. She spoke in a high voice; Beca sensed a bit of anxiety behind the politeness. 

“Hi, sorry about that. Just doing some inventory. You said you were here about the job opening, right? I’m Aubrey Posen,” Aubrey offered Beca her hand, which Beca took. The brunette wasn’t expecting such a strong grip. 

“Beca Mitchell.” 

“Oh, Beca!” Aubrey’s eyes lit up with recognition, posture relaxing a bit. “Chloe told me about you.” Beca must have looked confused, so Aubrey clarified. “I know, you’ve only met her once; she says Emily talks about you a lot. Chloe tends to think she’s friends with a lot of people she barely knows.” 

Beca smiled at the fondness in Aubrey’s voice. Then she remembered why she was here. “Um, so about the job…?”

“Sorry, right,” Aubrey shook her head - Beca assumed at herself. “Please, sit.” She gestured to the stool by the counter. Aubrey took a seat on the other side, straightening her posture a little more. Beca followed her example, feeling a little too short for the stool, legs swinging like a child’s. She hoped Aubrey didn’t notice from behind the counter. 

“Right, so what exactly would I be doing if you hired me?” Beca asked. “I don’t exactly have any experience with flowers and stuff.” 

“That’s no problem. I mostly need help with inventory, taking calls, watering plants - things like that. Of course, if you want to start doing arrangements later on, I can help. It’s really not that difficult.” 

“Okay, cool. What about the hours?” 

“Weekdays from nine to four. Sundays you have off, but you’ll have Saturdays from ten to four. I may need you to come in a little earlier or stay a little later, depending on how busy things are.” 

“Doesn’t seem like that’ll be too much of a problem,” Beca said without thinking. She noticed Aubrey narrow her eyes at her.  _ Shit. Beca, keep your snarky ass comments to yourself.  _ “Uh, I mean, it won’t be a problem for me to do. That sounds great. What about pay?”

“About eleven dollars an hour is the average, but considering my lack of staff at the moment, it’ll probably be more.” Beca noticed Aubrey’s voice shifted a little, becoming more professional.

Beca nodded. “That sounds good.” 

“Do you have any other questions?” Aubrey asked. 

“Yeah, actually. There isn’t a uniform or anything, right? I mean, if there is, I’d just like to know.” Beca had a history of not adhering to uniform policies, a rebellious streak that always bit her in the ass. 

“Not really, considering you’ll probably have an apron on. Whatever you wear under that is up to you. But…” Aubrey stopped, looking Beca up and down. “It would be nice if you could keep your tattoos covered. Those and your piercings may be...distracting.” 

Beca made a little noise of disgust. “I don’t see any problem with them. One of my tattoos is of flowers, that seems to fit the theme, doesn’t it?” 

“I’m afraid that’s just my policy, Beca,” Aubrey said plainly. “You seemed happy with everything else. Are you going to get caught up over this one little thing?” 

“My tattoos and piercings are important to me,” Beca said, voice growing more aggressive by the second. She felt dumb saying out loud, like a defensive teenager arguing with her mom; but it was true. They were part of her expression of independence, something vital to her. Besides, and more importantly, they were badass. 

“More important than having a job?” Aubrey raised an eyebrow. Beca’s shoulders dropped. “How about you come back tomorrow? Think about it tonight.” 

Beca hesitated, almost ready to say something else stupid and lose the job right there, but she agreed to return the next day. She thanked Aubrey, slid off the stool, and went home. 

* * *

Emily burst through the door, not even pausing to drop her bag off. She rushed over to the couch where Beca was sitting.

“Well? Did it go amazing? Did you get the job?” Emily asked eagerly. 

“Sort of,” Beca replied vaguely, not looking up from her phone. 

“What does that mean?” 

“She wants me to cover my tattoos and take out my piercings if I get the job. Which is so dumb because - ”

“ _ Beca.”  _

Beca saw the stress return to Emily’s face. 

“Right. Missing the point. Sorry. I can still get the job if I agree to her dumb rules,” Beca reassured her roommate. 

“You’re going to right? Take the job?” 

Beca bit her lip, remembering the tension between her and Aubrey earlier, something that was sure to surface again. But then she recalled the casual, relaxed Aubrey that first greeted her.  _ If that Aubrey is my boss, then I’d be glad to work there.  _

“Yeah,” Beca finally said. “I will.” 


	3. just meet me in the middle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for the support with the first two chapters! now that I'm done with my Triple Treble au, this will be my main focus, so updates will hopefully be more frequent! things start picking up in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy~

Rapid knocking on the apartment door disturbed Beca’s morning routine of not speaking to anyone until eleven. She trudged to the door, coffee in hand. “Emily, you expecting someone?” 

“Oh! Yeah, I forgot to tell you. We’re going to breakfast today.” 

“We? As in both of us?” 

“Yes, Beca. Chloe insisted.” 

“Why?” Beca groaned, unlocking the door. She swung it open and standing in the hallway was Emily’s friend, Chloe, a smile plastered on her face. 

“Hi, Beca! It’s so nice to see you! Can I come in?” Chloe asked, but didn’t wait for an answer, striding into the apartment and squealing when she saw Emily sitting in the kitchen. “Oh my gosh, I love your shirt, Emily. And I think you’ll really love this place, super cute. Little bit of a hole in the wall, but it’s basically a five star restaurant.” 

“Oh, I’m sure it’s great, Chloe,” Emily grinned. “Beca, go get dressed!” 

Beca grunted, shuffling back to her room to change.  _ It’s too early for this amount of happiness.  _

* * *

“I don’t think I’m going to go out with him again, though,” Chloe said after a long anecdote about some date Beca didn’t care about. “It was nice and all, but he’s just boring. Y’know?”

“Yeah, I get that,” Emily nodded over her glass. “At least you got to see  _ Lady Bird.  _ I’ve been dying to see it, but I never got around to it.  _ Someone  _ wouldn’t go with me.” 

Emily glanced at Beca pointedly. Beca just rolled her eyes. Emily was always trying to get Beca to go see movies with her, to which Beca always rejected her offer. Beca finally made Emily go with her old college buddy and pre-gay awakening ex-boyfriend Jesse, another important person in her life who just really did not understand her dislike for movies. 

“Calm your tits, Em. You were breaking our one movie per two months rule, and you know it,” Beca said. She pushed her eggs around on her plate, her appetite wasn’t great for some reason.  _ Probably just stressed about this stupid job thing…  _

“I thought Netflix didn’t count!” Emily whined. “And you loved  _ Moana,  _ admit it!” 

“It was okay,” Beca lied. She definitely didn’t have the entire soundtrack downloaded or all of the lyrics memorized. 

“Don’t believe the badass facade. She totally cried,” Emily said to Chloe. The ginger looked Beca over carefully, and Beca felt very much like she was being analyzed. 

“How about you, Beca? Go on any interesting dates lately? Any cute gals in your life?” Chloe rested her head on her hand as she asked. 

“Not really,” Beca shrugged. She didn’t question how Chloe knew she was a lesbian, it’s not like she tried to hide it. Emily wasn’t exactly the best secret keeper anyway, at least when it came to Chloe. They talked about  _ everything  _ together at yoga - Emily said they keep getting yelled at for disrupting the class. “Haven’t been on a date in a while.”

“Anyway, Beca,” Chloe spoke again. “Emily told me that you were gonna take the job at Posen’s, right?” 

“I’m supposed to go back in again today,” Beca replied. “The more I think about it, the less I want to go.” 

Emily opened her mouth to nag Beca again, but Chloe stopped her. 

“What exactly did she say to you that has you so apprehensive about it?” 

“She told me that my tattoos and piercings would be too ‘ _ distracting’,”  _ Beca drew out the word dramatically, making a face afterwards. 

“Distracting huh?” Chloe had a smirk on her face that Beca couldn’t quite identify, but the mischievous glint in her eyes had Beca worried. “You should totally take the job, Beca. I know Aubrey seems like a hardass, but if you give her some time, she’ll budge. Try to compromise, she likes a little bartering. It appeals to her competitive side. Trust me.”

“Fine,” Beca sighed. “I was going to go anyway. I just don’t want to go in and grovel to convince her to hire me after I was a dick yesterday.” 

“Wear something nice,” Chloe added. “She’ll notice the effort.” 

“Is this not okay? She said there’s no uniform,” Beca said, looking at her outfit. She wasn’t wearing anything unusual from her usual apparel, it was actually very similar to what she had worn the day before - a jean jacket thrown over a striped tank top, black skinny jeans and converse. 

“It’s not bad,” Chloe hummed. “Lose the jacket, though. Gets hot in the shop.” 

Beca didn’t understand what Chloe was getting at, but she shrugged and just took her advice. She left her jacket with Emily - it was warm enough anyway, Beca was just a stickler for keeping up her aesthetic - and said goodbye to the pair so she could go get this goddamn job. 

* * *

The bell on the door rang as Beca entered. She took a deep breath when she saw the blonde hair peeking out from behind a large arrangement of a purple flower Beca couldn’t identify, but found quite pretty. The curious part of her couldn’t help but ask aloud, “What kind of flowers are those?”

Aubrey glanced up. She had obviously noticed Beca enter from the bell ringing, but it wasn’t until they made eye contact that she realized who it was. She looked back at the stem she was clipping. “Larkspur.” 

“Oh,” Beca said, not exactly sure what to do with the information she had asked for. “It’s pretty.” 

“I honestly didn’t think you’d come back,” Aubrey said, setting down her pruning shears.  _ Oh, okay, no small talk. Got it. Wasn’t quite ready to grovel yet.  _ “You surprised me, Beca.” 

“Is that good?” Beca asked nervously. 

“Depends,” Aubrey answered, her posture unyielding. “Are you going to agree to my rules? I see you’re blatantly showing off your tattoos.” 

Beca looked at her arms, forgetting she shed her jacket.  _ If this backfires, I’m going to kill Chloe. What was it she told me? Compromise or something?  _ She thought for a minute, considering her options. 

“What if I half agree?” Beca asked, folding her arms over her chest. Aubrey’s eyes flicked to Beca’s ink littered forearms. 

“What do you mean, ‘half agree’?” Aubrey narrowed her eyes. 

“I’ll either cover my tattoos  _ or _ take my piercings out while I’m at work. But not both. Dealer’s choice,” Beca offered. 

“No, rules are rules.” 

“Aubrey, I really think - ” 

“ _ No,  _ Beca. I take pride in how this shop appears. I’m not going to have some punk scare people off.” 

Beca sucked in a breath, trying not to lose her cool. “Look, you don’t exactly seem to have people flooding in to take the job. You’re stuck doing both inventory and arrangements. Plus, you’re the only local flower shop, and this place has been around for a while, so you must be overbooked. You need staff, Aubrey, and I’m your man.” 

Aubrey looked at Beca angrily, but didn’t deny what she had said. Aubrey considered this for a moment, clearly trying to decide if it was worth it. Beca could see a hint of desperation in the blonde’s eyes; it was clear they were both in tough situations, and neither of them really wanted to work with the other, but they only had one option.

“What’ll it be, princess?” Beca asked teasingly. 

“Tattoos can stay. Ear monstrosities have to go. Call me ‘princess’ again if you have a death wish.” Aubrey glared at Beca. Beca would definitely deny exactly how much those green eyes piercing into her affected her. But she recovered quickly. 

Beca smirked. “I’m willing to take that risk.” 

“You won’t be if your job is on the line,” Aubrey shot back. “Do we have a deal or not?” 

Beca nodded. “Deal.” 

“Great,” Aubrey went back to the arrangement she was working on. “Be here tomorrow morning. Nine, sharp.” 

“Sounds good,” Beca pushed the door open, pausing to shoot Aubrey one last challenging look over her shoulder. “See you in the morning,  _ princess _ .” 

Beca thought she might have seen Aubrey smile as she shut the door.  _ No, that’s definitely not right. She’s probably just glaring again.  _

* * *

Beca slowly opened the door, taking an earbud out as she walked into the apartment. A shrill voice caused her to jump.

“Beca!” Emily yelled from the couch. Chloe was there was well, looking up from where she was painting her nails. 

“How’d it go?” Chloe asked eagerly. 

“You’re looking at the newest staff member of Posen’s Posies, ladies,” Beca grinned at the two women’s excitement. “I start tomorrow morning.” 

“Yes! That’s so great, Beca!” Emily jumped up to wrap Beca in a hug, which she grudgingly accepted. 

“Calm down, dude. It’s just a job.” 

“Did it work out with Aubrey?” Chloe eyed Beca carefully. 

“Yeah, we made a deal. She wasn’t exactly stoked, but you were right. I can show off my tattoos as much as I want, as long as I take out my piercings. That woman is stubborn as hell.” 

Emily mumbled something about that sounding awfully familiar, but Beca elected to ignore her. 

“She can definitely be a little uptight,” Chloe commented. “She’ll grow on you, I promise.” 

Beca rolled her eyes, flopping down on the couch. “Somehow I doubt that.”


	4. she talks too much (it’s like the sound of crazy)

“Fuck! Emily, have you seen my phone?”

“We live in a shoebox, Beca, why can’t you find it? You’ve only been in the kitchen and your room.”

“Because, Junk, I’m going to be late!” _Aubrey’s going to kill me._

Somehow, Beca had set her alarm for 8 p.m. instead of 8 a.m. She would still be sleeping if Emily hadn’t come bounding into her room at 8:30, yelling something incoherent about punctuality. Beca was usually able to get ready pretty fast, but today she was all over the place.

“Beca, is this your phone in the fridge?”

“Probably, toss it here!”

Beca cringed when she heard her phone slam into the ground. Emily ran to pick it up, checking the screen carefully.

“It’s safe! Here, go go go!”

* * *

Beca was usually chill. It was the word people who knew her always seemed to find most significant about her. But Beca did not feel like Aubrey would say the same after the way Beca practically fell over herself rushing through the door of Posen’s.

“I’m here,” Beca huffed, trying to catch her breath. “I’m not late.”

“You are, actually,” Aubrey mumbled, not looking up from whatever she was writing down. “Did you forget how to tell time?”

Beca just glared at her, then went back to trying to fix her hair in the reflection of a vase on display.

“At least you remembered to take those ear monstrosities out.”

“Uh-huh,” Beca grunted, clearly not happy about it. She did make a point of wearing a band-tee today, though, showing off her half-sleeve of tattoos. It was also what she slept in last night, but Aubrey didn’t need to know that.

Suddenly, a large piece of fabric hit her in the side. She grabbed it and held it out in front of her. It was a green apron, identical to the one Aubrey always wore. Aubrey walked over and handed her a broom as well. Beca raised an eyebrow.

“So, I’m just your new maid?”

“It’s just what I happen to need you to do right now. Don’t act surprised,” Aubrey rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you could manage orders right now. Do you know anything about flower arrangement?”

“Seems pretty self-explanatory.”

Aubrey pointed to a white flower that was in the vase Beca checked her reflection in. “What’s this?”

“A flower.”

“What _kind?_ ” Aubrey huffed.

“I don’t know, some weird carnation?” Beca guessed blindly. She only knew a few flower names, so she just hoped it was one that she remembered.

“It’s candytuft. What’s the difference between candytuft and iberis?” Aubrey asked. Beca felt an awful lot like she was back in school and just stumbled in late to a pop quiz.

“Uh, the...petals?”

“They’re the same flower.” Beca cringed. “Now, will you go sweep behind the counter? That’s where it’s usually the worst, I always drop petals while I’m arranging.”

Beca sighed and did what Aubrey told her. A couple of people came in and out throughout the day, some placing orders, others picking flowers up. Otherwise, it was just Aubrey and Beca. Aubrey was constantly checking behind whatever she asked Beca to do - which was driving Beca absolutely up the wall.

“You know,” Beca said, leaning on the handle of the broom. “I know how to sweep. You don’t need to follow me into every room after I’ve gone through it.”

“I don’t settle for less than perfection, Beca.”

“It’s just sweeping, dude.”

For the most part, Beca was able to avoid Aubrey’s micromanaging, as she was busy doing arrangement out front. Beca was stuck cleaning storage rooms for most of the day - only pausing at noon for a lunch break. She hoped that this wouldn’t be what she was trapped doing for the duration of the job - not that she actually cared about arranging flowers or whatever, but at least that had to be more interesting than getting stuck with sweeping.

Later in the afternoon, Aubrey gave Beca a huge binder - Beca swears it was bigger than her head - and told her to go take inventory.

“Everything you need to know is in there. There’s a laminated checklist I go through every day. I’m going to make a delivery, but I’ll be back soon to check up on you.” _Of course she will._ “Need anything?”

“No, but I do have a question.” Aubrey raised an eyebrow. “Can I change the music?”

“Why?” Aubrey asked, looking at Beca as if she’d just asked her if she could change the entire store so that they sold sex toys instead of flowers.

“We’ve been listening to the same playlist on loop all day,” Beca said. “I was just wondering if I could change it.”

It wasn’t necessarily a bad playlist; Beca liked a wide variety of music so she tended to find herself humming along to songs whatever they were and wherever she was - the amounts of times her and Emily had taken hours in the grocery store just because they were playing jams were too many to count. But Aubrey’s playlist wasn’t especially long, and if Beca had to listen to The Sign one more time, she’d probably explode.

“Just leave it,” Aubrey said. “I don’t have time to mess with it right now.”

“I could probably figure - ” She watched Aubrey grab the bouquet she was delivering and exit the shop, letting the door slam behind her. “Alright then.”

* * *

“Beca, you’re home! How was your first day?”

Emily probably regrets asking, because Beca ended up ranting for a good half hour about how _annoying_ and _absolutely infuriating_ Aubrey is.

“I had to take inventory three times just to satisfy her. _Three times,_ Emily. And she has this giant binder to keep inventory! It’s bigger than every newborn baby I’ve ever met. Sure, it makes it really easy to keep track of things and it’s highly efficient, but god, at what cost?”  

Beca paced back and forth in their tiny living room, clenching her fists tight. Everytime Emily would start to ask another question or comment on something Beca said, Beca would just continue ranting.

“And _another_ thing. I have The Sign stuck in my head, probably for the rest of my life. I swear, she actually has that song on her playlist like seven times. I’ve never been so happy to hear Time After Time in my entire life.”

Beca finally got tired of complaining and went to go take a shower. Emily just watched her leave in silence. While Beca was showering, she heard muffled music coming from the living room, which was odd considering Emily didn’t usually listen to music while she studied. She shut off the shower, threw on a towel and poked her head out to hear Emily singing loudly.

 _“_ _I saw the sign and it opened up my mind. And I am happy now living without you. I've left you - ”_

“Emily Junk! If you think I’m too good to chase you around this apartment half naked then you’d be wrong!”

* * *

The week continued in a similar pattern. Beca hoped that Aubrey would lighten up a little, but she stayed as serious as ever. One good thing, though, is that Beca found the drawer that Aubrey left her phone in - the phone that was connected to speakers. Beca waited until she heard the now-familiar sound of the bell and Aubrey shout, “Making a delivery! Be back in a few, don’t burn down the shop!”

Beca emerged from the storage room, checking the parking lot to make sure Aubrey had driven off, and unplugged Aubrey’s phone, replacing it with her own.

“Alright, Posen’s. Let’s get some real jams up in here.”

Aubrey drove up half an hour later, looking pleased when she looked through the picture window. Beca was dancing while she swept the floor, looking like she was genuinely happy, something Aubrey had yet to see. She was less pleased when she walked in and heard the unfamiliar thumping bass coming from the speakers.

“Beca, this isn’t my playlist. Is this Kanye?”

Aubrey gave up on trying to get Beca’s attention. Beca couldn’t hear Aubrey over the blasting music and her own singing. She was facing the back of the store, using the broom handle as a microphone and sliding across the floor.

“ _Heard they'd do anything for a Klondike. Well, I'd do anything for a blonde dyke, and she'll do anything for the limelight, and will do anything when the time's right. Uh, baby you're makin' it.”_ Aubrey turned off the music. _“N-now th-that that don't kill me, can only make me stronger -_ Hey, what happened?”

Beca whipped around, making eye contact with her boss.

“Oh, Aubrey, you’re back! I just thought while you were gone I’d change the - ”

“I don’t appreciate you touching my things, Beca.”

Beca gripped the broom tighter. She knew that she was in the wrong here, but her defenses went up. “I’m sorry I touched your phone, but it was only for a second. I didn’t even move it from the drawer! Besides, you should really take your phone when you leave. It’s a safety hazard. Besides, it’s just music. Not like it’s the end of the world.”

“That’s not the point,” Aubrey put her hands on her hips. “Don’t do it again.”

“Sure, princess. Won’t mess with the royal jewels ever again,” Beca raised her hands mockingly.

“ _Beca_ , seriously.”

“Oh, look at the time,” Beca grabbed her phone from Aubrey, holding it up for her to see. “I’m off the clock. See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday,” Aubrey mumbled, watching Beca push the door open with her side.

“Even better! See you Monday, princess,” Beca teasingly blew a kiss, letting the door slam behind her. Aubrey’s heated glare followed her all the way out of the parking lot.

* * *

 

“Beca, you’re going to lose this job if you keep it up,” Emily said after listening to Beca’s recount of the day.

“I’m just trying to get her to loosen up a bit,” Beca shrugged. “It’s not like I’ve done anything else wrong. I’ve already got the binder’s inventory system practically memorized. Not like she has any other people falling at the door for the job.”

“But still,” Emily said. “There’s probably a reason she’s such a stickler for her rules, don’t you think?”

“Other than the fact that she’s a control freak? Doubtful.”

“Look, all I’m saying is that you’d probably have an easier time if you didn’t feel the perpetual need to be a rebel just for kicks. Oh, like that song!” Emily lit up at her discovery. Beca just rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Becs. Don’t be so hard on her. You’ll just make it harder for both of you.”

“Well, what do you suggest instead?”

“Try at least pretending to care about the shop. She’d probably appreciate it.”

“Emily, this sounds like so much work,” Beca groaned.

“It’ll be worth it. Trust me, Beca.”


	5. you're such a rollercoaster (and a killer queen you are)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just two small notes: 
> 
> 1) i'm participating in bemily week this week starting tomorrow! so if you're interested in that keep on the look out!   
> that does mean that i'll probablyyy space out the updates for this a little more than i originally planned, but don't worry i won't make you wait too long. especially since next chapter is one of my favorites. 
> 
> 2) theo makes an appearance in this chapter, and is probably going to appear again later. i, personally, dislike theo, so that may reflect how he's written. i played with it a lot though trying not to make him too ooc. 
> 
> anyway, those notes aside, enjoy!

Sunday was a breath of fresh air for Beca. She had never been so happy to have a day off. Just as she was trying to figure out what to do with her day, her phone buzzed. She grinned when she saw a text from Jesse.

 

**jesse:** Becaw! Heard my favorite ex has a new job 

**beca:** more like a prison sentence 

**jesse:** Sucks dude. You at work now? 

**beca:** pfft, like my boss would let me on my phone at work. i have sundays off 

**jesse:** :o Lunch? 

**beca:** sure, meet me at my place in an hour? 

**jesse:** Oh, I’m already on my way 

**beca:** i hate you 

 

“Emily, do you want to grab lunch with Jesse and me?” Beca poked her head into Emily’s room where she was getting dressed, several different outfits laid out on the bed. 

“No thanks, I’m meeting Chloe before yoga, remember?”  _ Of course she’s hanging out with Chloe. What else is new?  _

“Right, have a good time!” 

Beca rushed to get dressed, throwing on a t-shirt and jeans. She was humming along to her music, trying to do her eyeliner when a voice behind her suddenly yelled, “Beca Mitchell!” 

She screamed and whipped around, fist raised and ready to fight. She sighed when she saw Jesse backed up with his hands raised. She lowered her fist and turned back to the mirror. “Dude, I’ve told you not to do that! I messed up my wing, man.” 

“I knocked like fifty times, but you didn’t hear me. You can hear Migraine blasting from two stories down, I hope your neighbors are Twenty-One Pilots fans.” 

“They’re used to it. How’d you even get in?” 

“Emily let me in as she was leaving. How’d you not see me in your mirror?” 

“I was focused! Now you have to wait another ten minutes.” Realistically, it wouldn’t take Beca that long; she had already fixed her eyeliner. Now she just had to put in her piercings and find her shoes. She just liked to make Jesse wait. 

“Ten more minutes!” Jesse shouted dramatically. He walked into the living room, planting himself on the couch. “Becs, I’m starving.” 

Beca found her shoes in the living room and started putting them on and lacing them up. “If you hadn’t come over here as soon as you did, you wouldn’t have had to wait here as long.” 

Beca ducked when Jesse threw a pillow at her. She picked it up and chucked it back at him, nailing him in the head. “Hey!”

* * *

 

“I’m just saying, Beca, you should go see Lady Bird with Emily. You’d really like it, I think.” 

“You say that about every movie, Jesse,” Beca rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if you’re completely unbiased.” 

Beca often forgot how much she enjoyed Jesse’s company. After they broke up and both came out to each other, their relationship got a million times better. They were completely comfortable talking to each other, bantering back and forth. Every time they had a chance to hang out, Beca felt like she was transported back to their college days, hanging out in Jesse’s room.  He would watch a movie and talk over it the whole time, and Beca would respond with ‘uh-huh’s and scroll through her phone. 

“Alright, but you liked The Breakfast Club, and I hold you to that one,” Jesse grinned. “It’s another coming of age story, and I think you’d relate to it. Overbearing parent vs. rebellious kid and all.” 

“I feel like I have a second overbearing parent now with Aubrey,” Beca said. 

“You know, that’s the third time you’ve brought up your boss.” 

“So? She’s irritating.” 

“I didn’t say she wasn’t,” Jesse hummed, taking a sip from his glass. Beca narrowed her eyes at Jesse. “I’m just saying, if she really irritated you that much, you’d probably want to spend your day off avoiding talking about work as much as possible.” 

“What are you getting at?” Beca narrowed her eyes at Jesse. 

“Whatever you want me to be getting at, Becs.” 

“Weirdo.”

* * *

 

Beca didn’t dread going in to work on Monday as much as she thought she would. Something about her conversations with Emily and Jesse were stuck in the back of her mind. Beca stopped into Posen’s - five minutes early, she hadn’t been late since the first day - making her way to the staff room to get her apron. She looked around, but there was no Aubrey in sight.  _ Huh, maybe she had an early delivery to make.  _

She heard the bell ring and a male voice call out. “Hello? Are you all open?” 

Beca walked out of the back, approaching the counter. The man who walked in was facing away from her, looking at the mass amount of flowers on display. “Sorry, we just opened so I was still getting ready. How can I help you?” 

Beca was completely thrown off when the man turned around. A flash of recognition hit both of them. 

“Beca? Well, this is the last place I expected to see you,” he laughed. 

“Theo,” Beca just glared. “What do you want? Did you have an order?” 

“Hey, hey,” Theo held up a hand. “Slow down. Don’t you want to catch up? It’s been a few years.” 

Beca clenched her jaw, trying to stay professional. Theo had worked at a music store that Beca frequented. He was nice enough at first, if a little awkward. But after he asked her out and she told him she was gay, he wouldn’t stop bugging her. He didn’t understand that she just wasn’t interested in being in any sort of relationship with him, as friends or otherwise. Beca didn’t think that he’d ever do anything malicious or anything that would harm her, but that didn’t make every moment in his presence any less uncomfortable. 

“I don’t have time,” Beca lied. “I have a ton of orders to fill.” 

Theo nodded, clearly not believing her. “Right, right. I have an order to place. Well, my mate does. He wanted me to drop it off on my way to work. Speaking of which, I haven’t seen you at Rhythms in a while.” 

“I stopped going. Do you have the order written down?” Beca was trying her best to avoid a conversation with Theo. She heard the bell ring and saw Aubrey walk through the door. She was watching Theo and Beca carefully, but didn’t say anything yet. 

“Yeah, here,” Theo placed a piece of paper on the counter. Beca took it and tried to look like she was busy reading it, too busy to keep talking. But he didn’t take the hint. “So, you seeing anyone?” 

“Theo, I’ve told you a thousand times. I’m a lesbian.” 

“Right. I was just asking because - ” 

“Even if I liked guys, it wouldn’t be you,” Beca said bluntly.

Theo looked offended. “Why not?” 

“You look like a turtle.” 

“What about we go get lunch, just as friends.” 

Aubrey coughed, grabbing Theo’s attention. She gave him the tight lipped smile that told Beca she was about to rip Theo a new one. 

“Hi, Theo was it?” He nodded. “I’m Aubrey, I’m the owner. We’ll gladly take your friend’s order, but if you’re done dropping it off, I think you should leave. Beca clearly isn’t interested at the moment.” 

“Hey, I didn’t mean any harm - ”

“Great,” Aubrey cut him off. “And you won’t do any if you leave now. We’ll call when your order is done.” 

Theo didn’t say another word. He waved awkwardly to Beca, who was avoiding looking at him by writing things down on the order form. Theo gave one last scared glance at Aubrey, and left. Beca sighed as she heard his car drive away. 

“Thanks, Aubrey. You didn’t have to - ”

“Of course I did, Beca,” Aubrey interrupted. “Clearly, he wasn’t going to stop if I didn’t step in. I won’t let him harass you like that. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine now. If he wasn’t so insistent, he honestly wouldn’t be that bad. He just makes me feel so uncomfortable.” 

“What’s his deal? Is he a creepy ex or something?” 

“No, just some guy that worked at this store I used to hang out at a lot. We talked about music, but that’s literally it. I feel kind of bad sometimes - ”

“You don’t have to,” Aubrey said. “If you don’t want to hang out with him - even just as friends - you don’t have to. Don’t feel obligated to.”  Beca nodded. “If he bothers you again - or if anyone does for that matter - don’t hesitate to ask for help,” Aubrey said. Her eyes were serious, wanting Beca to know that she meant this genuinely - and Beca would bet she meant it more than as her boss, but as her friend.

“Thank you, Aubrey.” Beca smiled, going back to organizing the order form. 

“Don’t worry about it. It’s like my dad always says, ‘Julius Caesar wouldn’t have gotten stabbed if someone had his back’.” 

Beca looked at Aubrey with confusion. 

“Just...I’ve got your back, okay?”


	6. i think i like the challenge (because i love to win)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but Bemily Week had me very occupied! But! Now that that's over, we'll be back with this little brainchild pretty regularly. (I also have another project I'm working on. It won't be ready for a while, but it may make these updates a liiiiittle slower) 
> 
> Anyways! Enjoy <3

Beca’s second week at Posen’s went a lot smoother than the first. Ever since the incident with Theo, Beca was much more willing to follow Aubrey’s rules. She had a new found trust in the older woman. Aubrey seemed to be a little less controlling now as well, now that Beca wasn’t resisting her managerial techniques as much. 

Beca also was happier with the tasks Aubrey was asking her to do. Aubrey took over some of the things like taking inventory - which Beca was good at, but Aubrey claimed that she enjoyed how systematic it was. Aubrey set Beca the job of keeping things watered and healthy, which Beca was terrified of at first - she didn’t exactly have a green thumb. Aubrey assured her that if she stuck to the chart she had laid out, she’d be fine. 

Beca sang softly while she worked, occasionally asking Aubrey questions if she was out front with her. 

“What’s this one again?” Beca gestured to white and yellow flowers she was watering. 

“That’s a freesia. I use them a lot in wedding centerpieces.” 

Beca hummed thoughtfully in response. This was becoming routine for them, Beca asking Aubrey about the different flowers. She swore that sometimes she knew what Beca was pointing to before even looking up from what she was doing. Beca supposed she  _ did  _ organize this whole store, with such depth and precision that Beca doesn’t know why she wasn’t working somewhere where those skills could really thrive. 

“Hey, Aubrey?” 

“Hm?” 

“I don’t think I ever asked you, how’d you get to be the owner of this place? No offense, but it just seems like your mind works so logically that another job would suit you really well. Maybe an accountant or something?” Beca said, sweeping the floor methodically. 

Beca noticed Aubrey visibly tense. “The shop runs in the family.”

By the way Aubrey was acting, Beca figured she shouldn’t ask for more details right now. She let it go without another question.

* * *

 

“I don’t know, Em. Everything was going fine until I asked her that. Why’s she so cold all of a sudden?” Beca yelled across the hallway. Both of them were getting ready to go out shopping, getting ready in their respective rooms. They often had conversations consisting of them shouting across the hall to each other. 

“Why are you asking me?” 

“You’re the psych major,” Beca shrugged to herself. She pulled her hair up into a bun, pinning some of the loose strands carefully. 

“You seem awfully bothered by this. Why do you care so much?” Emily’s voice got closer, the sound of her footsteps entering Beca’s room. “Oh, I love that button up. Is it new?” 

Beca looked down at what she was wearing: a black short sleeve button up, patterned with white outlines of roses. “Yeah! I got it from Target the other day. And I don’t care. It was a rhetorical question.”

“Okay, one: you definitely do care, so I’ll ask again. Why?” Emily said, counting on her fingers for emphasis. “And two: did you go to Target without me?” 

“I’m only gratifying one of questions with an answer. Yes, I went to Target without you.”

* * *

 

Emily managed to drag Beca to a tiny bookstore, absolutely lighting up with joy from the moment they stepped in. Beca wanted to go to the new music store that had just opened next door, but Emily was impossible to say no to. Plus, the longer Emily stayed here, the longer she could get her to wait while Beca talked herself out of buying twenty records she didn’t need. 

Beca was flipping through the mystery section, not actually paying attention to any of the books she was looking at, when she heard a familiar voice travel through the aisles.  

“Aubrey, come on. I don’t have too many books. Just let me have it!” 

“Chloe, you haven’t actually read anything on your shelf in months. I’ve read half of them. You just keep buying more! Read what you have.” 

“I will if you hand over the book.” 

Beca turned, smiling when she saw Aubrey holding a book high above her head, just barely out of Chloe’s reach. She decided to go say hi - if she didn’t, one of them was bound to find her or Emily soon. 

“Hey, guys.” 

“Beca!” Chloe wrapped Beca in a hug. Beca sighed, making eye contact with Aubrey over Chloe’s shoulder. Aubrey gave her a look that said  _ I know the feeling _ . “Beca, would you tell Aubrey here that it’s perfectly normal to buy books, even if you own a few you still have to read?” 

“Sure, I mean - ” 

“Hold on,” Aubrey interjected. “Chloe, don’t say ‘a few’. You have three shelves of books you haven’t read.” 

“Well, that seems excessive.” Beca agreed. 

“See?” Aubrey said. “Beca’s on my side. I like your shirt by the way. You should wear it to work, with the whole flower theme and all.”

Beca smiled and thanked Aubrey for the compliment. They talked for a while, Emily joining them when she heard Chloe’s whining. Emily and Aubrey were talking about a book they both read, Chloe telling them not to spoil it for her. 

Beca stayed quiet, not having anything to contribute to the conversation. She watched Aubrey carefully, noticing how different her demeanor outside of work was. She was visibly more relaxed, her blonde hair loose around her shoulders instead of in a bun like Beca was used to seeing her. This was the real Aubrey, the one Beca had seen a glimpse of on her first encounter with the woman. The Aubrey that wasn’t Beca’s boss. She really was gorgeous, something Beca had noticed, but not acknowledged until now. 

When she laughed at something Emily said, Beca tried not to think about how her green eyes sparkled and how cute the little crinkles by her eyes looked. And her lips and smile...  _ Shit, Beca, calm down. This is your boss you’re thinking about. Where the fuck did this even come from? _

Beca felt the need to clear her head, so she offered to go buy Emily’s book for her while they finished talking. She waited outside, Emily’s book in hand when the three finally exited, laughing together. 

“Hey you ready, Em?” 

“Actually, Beca, Chloe invited us to dinner with her and Aubrey. Is that cool?” Emily was giving Beca a look that told her she wasn’t getting out of this. 

“Yeah, that sounds great.”  _ Guess I’ll go to the record store later. _

They settled on an Italian restaurant that was at the end of the outlet mall. It was crowded, but with Aubrey’s determination and Chloe’s natural persuasiveness, they were able to get seated quickly. Chloe and Emily got to talking about someone they knew from yoga. Beca just browsed the menu, biting her lip in thought. 

“You know,” Aubrey spoke to Beca. “I’d forgotten all about your piercings until today. I actually don’t hate a couple of them.” 

“Uh, thanks?” Beca said. Then she smirked. “Maybe I could wear the ones you don’t hate around the shop.” 

“Keep dreaming,” Aubrey scoffed playfully. Beca laughed. 

Their waitress came over and started taking their orders. Beca didn’t speak to her beyond placing her order, but the waitress didn’t let that stop her from flirting. She tried to start a conversation about Beca’s tattoos, to which Beca just gave a half-assed answer. Beca pretended she didn’t notice the waitress touch her shoulder as she collected the menus. 

Once she was out of earshot, Chloe leaned toward Beca. “Oh my gosh, she was totally cute and totally into you.” 

Beca shrugged. “Eh, not my type.” 

“What is your type?” Aubrey asked a little too quickly, glancing back towards the waitress. 

Beca opened her mouth to give a generic answer, but suddenly she made eye contact with a familiar face entering the restaurant. “Oh, lord.” 

“What?” Emily asked. 

“It’s Jesse, and we’ve made eye contact.” 

“Who’s Jesse?” 

“Beca’s ex.” 

“Is he a creep, like that guy the other day?” Aubrey asked Beca, face hardening. “Because if he tries to bother you - ” 

“No no, Jesse’s cool. We’re friends. He can just be a little - ”

“Be-CAW!” 

Beca cringed as Jesse approached the table. “...much. Sup, dude?” 

“Nothin’ much, Becs. Just meeting Benji for a date, but he’s late. What a loser, am I right?” He suddenly noticed Chloe and Aubrey watching him and laughed nervously. “Sorry, I’m so rude sometimes. Beca here is a bad influence. I’m Jesse.” 

Chloe and Aubrey introduced themselves. Jesse’s eyes lit up when Aubrey greeted him. 

“Aubrey? You’re Beca’s boss, right?” 

“Yep, I am.”

“She’s told me a lot about you.” 

“Really?” Aubrey asked. She glanced at Beca curiously. 

Jesse nodded eagerly like he knew some big secret. 

Beca punched him in the side. 

“Watch out for this one,” Jesse said, patting Beca’s shoulder much harder than necessary. Beca covered her face with her hands. “She can be quite a handful.” 

Jesse threw a wink at Aubrey, who was smiling at Beca’s obvious embarrassment. “Oh, trust me. I know.” 

Jesse said goodbye when their dinner arrived. He gave Beca an awkward pat on the head as he left, and the four women watched him greet his date with a huge hug. 

“He seems fun,” Chloe said. She had been giggling the whole time, enjoying how easily he was able to tease Beca. 

“When you’re not friends with him he is,” Beca mumbled. 

The four women continued their conversation over dinner. Chloe asked how Beca and Jesse had met, so she dove into that story. Beca noticed that Aubrey was watching her with rapt attention. Beca hoped that the restaurant was just warm and that she was imagining the feeling of a blush on her face. As they left, Emily and Chloe walked ahead of the other two, arms linked together. 

“Those two are inseparable, I swear,” Aubrey said, watching them. 

“I know right? It’s like, get a room already.” Aubrey laughed at Beca’s comment. 

Beca glanced over. Chloe was whispering something in Emily’s ear, which would’ve been less suspicious if they both didn’t look over their shoulders at Aubrey and Beca walking together. Aubrey and Beca looked at each other, eyebrows raised. They laughed when they noticed they had the exact same expression on their faces. 

Emily drove home, Beca flipping through her playlist from the passenger seat. Finally, she settled on Sun Shy by Dresses. The strange interaction between Chloe and Emily was still bugging her, so she brought it up. 

“What were you and Chloe acting all weird about?” 

“What? Nothing. We weren’t acting weird. Just normal girl talk.” Emily looked away from the road for a second to give Beca an unconvincing smile. 

“Yeah, but normal for you two is probably pretty weird.” 

“Don’t be a dick. Did you have a good time at least?” 

“Yeah, I did,” Beca answered genuinely. “I’d go out with them again. Maybe we could invite Jesse too. They seemed to like him.” 

“Woah, Beca Mitchell acting eager for social interactions? Who are you and what have you done with my roommate?” Emily laughed. 

“Shut up.”


	7. why'd you have to go and make me like you?

Working in a flower shop was an interesting experience for Beca. It seemed as though a majority of the shop’s customers came in overtaken by emotion, which Beca didn’t know how to handle properly. 

Aubrey still hadn’t had the time to train Beca how to properly arrange flowers yet, so she was still the only one doing orders. Beca was often present whenever Aubrey was talking to customers about their arrangements, and she was often surprised to see how Aubrey would handle people. One day in particular stuck with Beca the most.

A woman, who couldn’t have been more than 40, came in wanting to get information about Aubrey’s arrangements. 

“I’ve looked at your website,” the woman explained to Aubrey. Beca was only half listening as she watered plants. “But I didn’t see any examples of what I was looking for, so I thought I’d just drop by.” 

“Well, what are you looking for?” Aubrey asked. 

The woman hesitated for a second. “Sympathy flowers.” 

Aubrey didn’t ask any further questions and just went on her usual spiel about different flower meanings. 

“Here,” Aubrey slid a binder over the counter. “These are everything we currently carry, along with a little bit about their meaning, if that matters to you. Take a look and tell me if you see anything that you think will work.” 

The room was silent aside from Wild World by Cat Stevens playing softly over the speakers (Beca noted that this was a new addition to Aubrey’s playlist). Aubrey was occupying herself by rearranging her ribbon drawer - something Beca watched her do daily - while the customer flipped through the binder. Beca wouldn’t have heard it if it wasn’t so quiet, but a soft sniffling just barely broke the serenity of the shop. When she turned back toward the counter, she saw Aubrey on the other side, hand reaching for the woman’s arm. Beca noticed the woman’s shoulders shaking. 

“Ma’am?” Aubrey said, in a gentle voice Beca had never heard from her. “Do you need a minute? I have tissues if you want.” 

Beca watched awkwardly, frozen in place. She watched the woman shake her head. 

“Alice, right?” Aubrey asked. The woman nodded. “If you want to talk about what’s got you so emotional, I’d be happy to listen. But if you don’t, I won’t ask any further questions. You can come back another day if you’d prefer.” 

“No,” Alice said. “It’s just been a hard week. The flowers. They’re supposed to go to my brother. His little girl has been sick and they don’t know - ”

Aubrey must have noticed that Alice was on the verge of sobbing again, so she placed both hands on Alice’s shoulders gently. “Hey, hey. Do you want to sit down?” Alice nodded, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. “Okay, come with me. There’s a table in the break room. I’ll get you some water and let you take a minute to cool off, okay?” 

“Yes,” Alice whispered. “Thank you. I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be. Do you want me to bring the binder so you can look after you’ve settled down, or would you rather save it for another day?” 

“I’ll keep looking. I had a few in mind…” 

Aubrey nodded, directing Alice to the break room. She looked over her shoulder at Beca, who was still standing at the edge of the room. “Beca, hold down the fort for a few?” 

“Yeah.” Beca felt useless. “Do you, um...Can I do anything?” 

“I’ll just be a few minutes, don’t worry.” Aubrey smiled. It didn’t quite reach her eyes. Beca noticed that they weren’t sad, but held a certain vulnerability that surprised her. 

She still couldn’t get the thought of Aubrey’s compassion and the look in her eyes out of her head. It was like Beca had watched Aubrey put one of her walls down in order to help. The thought made Beca smile. 

* * *

“Adrianne, please be quiet for  _ one  _ second. Eleanor, let go.”

Beca and Aubrey didn’t often see many parents bring their kids in to Posen’s, but today a very frazzled looking man was trying to kick his two daughters off of his legs while he talked to Aubrey about an anniversary arrangement for his husband. 

“I’m so sorry about them,” he sighed. “I took them today as part of Jay’s present. We’ve been all around the city buying things, and I think these two are getting restless.” 

“That’s fine.” Aubrey waved her hand. “Now, Chris, were you thinking of something more traditional, or did you maybe want to mix it up a little?” 

“Well - ”

“Daddy!” The smaller girl squealed, causing Beca to flinch and scribble a line over the order form she was working on. 

“Shit,” Beca said, before covering her mouth quickly. “Oh no, I mean shoot. My bad.” 

“It’s no problem,” the man chuckled. “What I was thinking was actually - ”

“Daddy! Eleanor took my bracelet!” The two girls were running around the room, just barely missing a large vase. 

Beca could see that both Aubrey and Chris were losing patience. Aubrey looked particularly frazzled - this week she had been scrambling to complete last minute orders. By the way she had been sniffling and taking Emergen-C all day, Beca suspected she might be getting sick as well. Beca made a quick decision before she could think about it too much.

“If you two want, I could try to entertain the kids for a few minutes. At least long enough for you to get a word in.” 

“Oh, Beca, you don’t have to - ” Aubrey started, looking at Beca with surprise. 

“Please, I want to help. It’s the least I can do,” Beca said, shooting the man her most charming smile. 

He nodded, then called his daughters over. “Hey, you two are going to play with the nice flower lady for a few minutes okay? Don’t drive her crazy, please.” 

Aubrey chuckled at him calling Beca “the nice flower lady”. Beca resisted the urge to elbow her. She walked around the counter and offered both of her hands to the children. 

“Come on, you two. Let’s go where there’s less things to break.” Beca started leading them to the break room. She just barely heard Aubrey sigh with relief. 

Once Beca got to the break room, she realized she didn’t actually have a plan. “So, what are you little dudes’ names again?” 

“My name is Adrianne Lee Jones.” The older of the two answered. Beca smiled at her giving her full name. 

“What about you?” 

“Eleanor.”

“Oh really? That’s my middle name!” Beca smiled. 

“Really?”

“Yup,” Beca popped the ‘p’. “Beca Eleanor Mitchell, at your service.” 

The younger girl giggled. Beca told them to sit down at the table, and they surprisingly complied. She started rooting around the cabinets until she finally found some paper and markers. 

“Do you two like drawing?” The girls nodded. Beca gave each of them a pile of paper and some markers. They immediately started doodling. Beca pulled out her phone, glancing up every so often to make sure they were behaving. 

“Beca Eleanor?” 

“Yes, Mini Eleanor?” 

“Don’t you wanna draw?” 

Beca furrowed her eyebrows. “I’m not really good at it. Not as good as you, anyway. I mean, that’s a beautiful...tree?” 

“It’s a flower!” 

“Oh, okay. It’s gorgeous. It should be in a museum.” Eleanor giggled and went back to coloring her flower. “What about you, Adrianne? Is that a horse?” 

“Yeah, it’s the pony I keep asking my dads for. But they said he won’t fit in the apartment. I told them I’d give up my room, but they won’t listen.” 

“Bummer, kiddo. I wanted a dragon when I was younger. Never got it though.” Beca said. She figured the more that she talked, the longer the girls would stay occupied and, more importantly, quiet. 

“Miss Beca Eleanor,” Adrianne spoke up again. Beca chuckled at her formality. “How many tattoos do you have?” 

“Oh,” Beca looked at her arms. “Well, I have half sleeves on both of my arms. Guess you could see that. I also have a few on my back and shoulder. And a little one behind my ear. See?” Beca leaned forward, pushing her hair back so they could look. “It’s a little sprig of lavender.” 

The girls oohed and ahhed. “I want tattoos like you one day!” Eleanor chirped. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah! They’re so cool!” 

“Maybe you could design your own, since you’re so good at art.” Eleanor looked at her drawing and then back at Beca again, a huge grin on her face. 

A knock on the doorframe made all three of them look up. Aubrey was standing there, leaning on the frame. “We’re all done, if you can bear to part with your new friends.” 

Beca ushered the girls past Aubrey. The girls ran back to their dad, bouncing and showing him their pictures. Beca saw their dad wave her a thank you as he left. Aubrey and Beca waved goodbye as well, watching them drive off. 

Beca started to get back to work when Aubrey stopped her. “Hey, wait. Thank you. For taking those two. You’re really good with kids, did you know that?” 

Beca shrugged. “No big deal. They’re a lot easier to talk to than adults.” 

Aubrey laughed. “I guess you’re right. I never expected you to be such a big softie.” 

“I’m not a softie,” Beca said, turning back to her work. 

“Sure,  _ Miss Beca Eleanor _ . You’re not a softie.” 

“You heard all that? Ugh, you better not use that against me, princess.” Beca attempted her best glare, but she didn’t quite have it in her, and it looked closer to a grumpy pout. 

“No promises, Beca.”

**Author's Note:**

> playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/sylverunicorn/playlist/1KQzyHCqwxonFnJMncnRQn?si=yKQNq1XyTlefyFANY1eFIQ


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